This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-082695, filed Mar. 22, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus with a plurality of heat generating components such as microprocessors housed inside the housing, and more specifically to the construction of cooling the heat generating components.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, the rack-mount type server comprises a stand called a cabinet rack and a server body that is supported by the stand. The server body has a box-form housing and inside this housing, microprocessors, CD-ROM drive, power supply unit, a plurality of hard disk drives, and other various functional parts housed in a lump.
The server body that handles a large volume of data has two microprocessors equipped for increased processing speed. These microprocessors are mounted side by side on a main circuit board called a motherboard. The microprocessors cannot avoid an increase of heat generation as the processing speed increases. Consequently, in order to secure the stable operation of the server body, it is necessary to increase the heat radiation capacity of microprocessors. To achieve this, in the conventional server body, heat sinks are mounted to the microprocessors and an electrically-operated fan is housed inside the housing. The electrically-operated fan supplies cooling air to the heat sinks and microprocessors in accord with the operating condition of the server body. By this, the microprocessors are forcibly cooled.
However, the two microprocessors are placed side by side in the condition so close to each other in order to downsize the main circuit board that they cannot be said that they are thermally insulated. Consequently, the heat discharged from one microprocessor may be transmitted to the other microprocessor. As a result, even if cooling air is fed to the heat sink that deprives each microprocessor of the heat, cooling air heated by exchanging heat with the one heat sink may be blown on the other heat sink or microprocessor.
Consequently, the two microprocessors exert thermal influences to each other and even though these two microprocessors are made to forcibly air-cool, the desired cooling effects are unable to be obtained from the microprocessors.
In addition, by the above configuration, much of the cooling capacity of microprocessor depends on the air-feeding capacity of the electrically-operated fan. Consequently, increasing the air volume of cooling air can increase the cooling capacity of microprocessor. However, in order to increase the cooling air volume, the rotating speed of the electrically-operated fan must be increased or a large-size electrically-operated fan with excellent blowing capacity must be used. This will increase operating sound of electrically-operated fan and causes noises or a wide space for installing the electrically-operated fan must be secured inside the housing, and cannot be an effective solution.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus that can prevent a plurality of heat generating components from exerting thermal influences one another and that can efficiently cool these heat generating components.
In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises; a duct that forms a cooling air passage through which cooling air flows; and a plurality of heat generating components which are cooled by the cooling air that flows the cooling air passage. The heat generating components are arranged displaced relative to the flowing direction of the cooling air as well as displaced one another in the direction crossing the cooling air flowing direction.
An information processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises; a circuit board housed in a housing and equipped with a mount surface; a plurality of heat generating components arranged and mounted on the mount surface of the circuit board; a duct installed to the mount surface of the circuit board, the duct having formed an independent cooling air passage in the housing inside and the heat generating components having been located in the cooling air passage; and an air feeding means for feeding cooling air to the cooling air passage. The heat generating components are arranged displaced relative to the flowing direction of the cooling air as well as displaced one another in the direction crossing the cooling air flowing direction.
By this kind of configuration, the cooling air that flows the cooling air passage has the flow direction guided by the duct, and therefore, the cooling air flow is not diffused around a plurality of heat generating components but the cooling air can be concentratedly guided to these heat generating components.
Moreover, the heat generating components do not overlap along the cooling air flow direction and high-temperature cooling air heated by the heat exchange with other heat generating component is not guided to any of the heat generating component. At the same time, the outer peripheral surfaces of these heat generating components are not brought closer as is the case when the heat generating components are arranged in parallel. Consequently, the outer peripheral surfaces of the heat generating components can be exposed to the cooling air passage over a wide range, and the sufficiently wide contact area can be secured between individual heat generating components and cooling air.
As a result, adjacent heat generating components do not exert thermal influences to one another and heat generating components can be efficiently cooled without increasing the air volume of cooling air.
In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises; a housing equipped with a removable top plate; a circuit board which is housed in the housing and which has a mount surface that opposes to the top plate; a duct that is removably housed in the housing inside, the duct having formed a cooling air passage independently from the housing inside on the mount surface of the circuit board; a plurality of heat generating components removably mounted on the mount surface of the circuit board and cooled by cooling air that flows the cooling air passage, the heat generating components having been arranged relative to the flowing direction of the cooling air as well as displaced one another in the direction crossing the cooling air flowing direction; and a power supply unit housed inside the housing, the power supply unit having been installed to the place deviated from the duct.
According to this kind of configuration, same as the first and the second embodiments according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent adjacent heat generating components from exerting thermal influences on one another. In addition, since the power supply unit is housed inside the housing at the position deviated from the duct, the heat generating components can be exposed on the circuit board only by the operation to remove the top plate of the housing and the duct. Consequently, for example, even if the heat generating components must be replaced, it is no longer necessary to remove a heavy and large power supply unit from the housing and assemble it to the housing each time. Consequently, the operability at the time of removing and mounting heat generating components can be improved.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.